The iconic singer is hailed as one of the all-time greats

Legendary country music singer George Jones, whose hard-living ways were almost as legendary as his incomparable singing, has died. He was 81.

Jones — hospitalized April 18 with irregular blood pressure and a fever — died Friday morning at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to his longtime publicist, Kirt Webster.

Like Hank Williams, Roy Acuff and very few others, Jones had a pure, sure voice that was instantly recognizable after just a note or two. Hailed as “the king of broken hearts,” the Texas-born troubadour could evoke a world of emotion with his supple baritone.

A multiple Grammy Award winner and a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Jones scored his first hit with 1955’s “Why Baby Why.” His most recent San Diego area performance was in 2010 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino.

Often fueled by drinking and drugs, his tumultuous career saw him first top the charts with the 1959 rockabilly rave-up “White Lightning,” but his trademark was such heart-wrenching ballads as “She Thinks I Still Care” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

With his simultaneously earthy and eloquent singing, he was a master of nuance with his subtle tonal and tremulous vocal inflections.

The death of Jones, who was fondly known by fans as “Possum,” inspired tributes from many of his high-profile admirers.

“He will always be the greatest singer and interpreter of real country music,” said Alan Jackson, whose 1991 hit, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” included an homage to Jones in its lyrics.

Loretta Lynn hailed Jones as “one of the best country singers there ever was,” while Vince Gill said: “There aren’t words in our language to describe the depth of his greatness.”

Jones made more than 150 albums in his expansive career and sang on 168 singles that made the country-music charts. In 2008, he was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor. In 2012, he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award.

A native of Saratoga, Texas, born Sept. 12, 1931, Jones sang for tips on the streets of Beaumont as a teenager before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. He launched his recording career in 1955 and rarely looked back.

Jones was married four times, including to fellow country great Tammy Wynette, who died in her sleep in 1998 at the age of 55. They recorded a string of memorable songs in the 1970s. His other recording partners ranged from Ray Charles and Emmylou Harris to Elvis Costello and the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.

For years, Jones was known nearly as much for his drinking and cocaine abuse as for his music. He missed so many concert dates his nickname was “no-show Jones.” James Taylor wrote “Bartender’s Blues” for him and they recorded it together.

Jones once drove his lawn mower to a liquor store, after his second wife — in a futile attempt to curb his drinking — hid all the car keys. He once decided to make his tour bus more airy by firing a round of bullets from his pistol into the floor of the bus.

In 1999, Jones spent weeks in a hospital after a near-fatal, alcohol-induced car accident. He subsequently stopped drinking, stopped taking drugs and even stopped smoking. But he never stopped singing.

Jones is survived by his fourth wife, Nancy; sister Helen Scroggins; sons Bryan and Jeffrey; daughters Susan and Tamala; and many grandchildren. ﻿Services have not been announced.